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KrakatoaIndonesia1883Mt.St. HelensUSA1980PinatuboPhilippines1991And many more lives—like theHoisingtons’—had been foreverchanged.John and his family survivedthe loss of their crops. But theygave up their farm and movedwest to Ohio. They started theirtrek in June 1817, traveling in anoxcart piled with their possessions.Tens of thousands of otherNew England farmers madesimilar journeys, all driven westby the hardships of 1816. It wasone of the biggest migrations inU.S. history. Most migrants wentto Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.The Hoisingtons’ 1,000-milejourney took three months. John’s older sisterSabrina recorded the trip in her diary. Shedescribed the family’s meeting with AmericanIndians, long days of slogging through mud, andsome enjoyable visits with friends they met alongthe way. They arrived in Ohio in August andwere soon settled in to life on their new farm.Meanwhile, 10,000 miles away, the volcanothat had nearly destroyed their lives went backto sleep, sitting in silence to this day—until itwakes again.Artifacts likethese piecesof potteryhave beenunearthedfrom theruins onTambora’sslopes.cloud as it spread across the world. Like a layerof sunscreen slathered across the sky, the cloudblocked out some of the sun’s heat and light.Temperatures dropped, and storms became moreviolent. It took three years for Pinatubo’s foamyhaze to clear. Tambora’s cloud would have beeneven bigger, its effects more devastating. Indeed,like an invisible beast, Tambora’s cloud hoveredin the sky for about three years. By the timethe climate returned to normal, as many as 30million people had died from Tambora’s effects.FIKRIA HIDAYAT/KOMPAS IMAGES/AP PHOTOWRITE TO WINImagine you could send a letter through time, explaining to the Hoisingtonswhat caused the strange weather of 1816. In your letter, tell themhow Tambora affected people around the world. Send it to“Tambora Contest” by October 15. Ten winners will each receiveFIND ANACTIVITYa copy of Eruption! by Elizabeth Rusch. See page 2 for details.ONLINE!S T O RY W O R K S . S C H O L A S T I C . C O M S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 49

Paired TextsTalen’sGotHow oneboy copeswithstuttering—and stealsthe showTalentSynthesizingAs you read these articles,look for details about what can makespeech diffcult—and what makes it easier.LOOK FOR WORD NERD’S 7 WORDS IN BOLDen-year-old Talen struts onto a stagein a white button-down shirt andblack blazer to the beat of the soulsong “Lovely Day.” He smiles at theaudience of about 700 people. He’snervous, but you’d never know it. He performshis dance effortlessly, bobbing his shoulders,sliding on cue, spinning around smoothly,throwing his arms into the air, and smilingat the crowd with a proud twinkle in his eye.When the song ends, he knows—and theaudience knows—that he just totally rockedit. He grabs the microphone and introduceshimself with ease: “Hi, I’m Talen.”Not long ago, if you had asked Talen toperform on stage, he’d have looked at you asif you’d asked him to sprout wings and fly toT10S T O R Y W O R K SMars. In fact, talking to just one person was abig challenge for Talen. That’s because he has aspeech problem known as stuttering.Stuttering is a speech disorder that makes ithard to say words out loud. People who stutteroften repeat or stretch out words, or becomesilent in the middle of a sentence. The problemis common among kids ages 2 to 5. Mostoutgrow it, but a few continue to stutter as theyget older. About 3 million Americans—or 1percent of the population—stutter.A Puzzling ProblemThe causes of stuttering are not wellunderstood. Many experts think stuttering islikely inherited. They believe some people areborn with a tendency to develop stuttering.The source of the problem probably lies in thepart of the brain that controls language.Most people who stutter are no differentfrom you. Visit Talen in his Brooklyn, NewYork, apartment and you’ll find him watchingSpider-Man movies, making clay sculptures,ALL IMAGES: HEATHER WESTON PHOTOGRAPHSUPCLOSEBY JANE BIANCHI

Talen rehearseshis showstoppingmoves (left).Performing hasboosted hisconfdence onand off the stage.S T O RY W O R K S . S C H O L A S T I C . C O M S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 411

A Big ChangeFamousStutterersStutteringdidn’t limit thesuccess of:productions. In 2001, at age 29, hecreated SAY. “I wanted to show kidsthat stuttering doesn’t have to holdthem back from anything,” he says.Since performing helped him somuch, he thought it would be a greatway to engage kids and boost theirconfidence. “The amazing thing aboutthe arts is that it’s a perfect way tohelp people express how they feel. Ithelps kids come out of their shells in abrilliant way,” says Alexander.Sometimes people grow impatientTiger Woodswhen Talen speaks and say, “Spit itout,” or they finish his sentences forhim. But that puts pressure on him,and speaking becomes even morechallenging. (Talen’s advice: TheNo Longer AloneEmily Bluntbest thing a listener can do is waitTalen goes to SAY for about twopatiently for a person who stutters tohours each week. “I like to dance,”finish.) It’s also tough for him to makesays Talen. “It brings out the innerfriends at school because some kidsme.” Singing? Not so much. “I don’tfind it easier to avoid Talen than tohave a good voice. I want to usetalk to him.Auto-Tune,” he jokes. Each spring, allKing George VIBut Talen’s life began to changethe kids in SAY perform onstage intwo years ago, when he joined SAY:front of hundreds of parents and otherthe Stuttering Association for thesupporters of the organization.Young. The group teaches kids whoGoing to SAY hasn’t solvedstutter how to sing, dance, act, andTalen’s stuttering problem. But it hasJoe Bidenrecite speeches. The goal is to buildhelped him feel less self-conscious.kids’ confidence. “We have so muchPlus, he’s made friends. Before joiningfun,” says Talen.SAY, he knew only two people whoThe founder and president of SAY, Tarostuttered. Now he has met more than 170,Alexander, relates to what Talen has gonewhich makes him feel less alone.through, because he also started stuttering atThe program has helped Talen at schoolage 5. “I spent a lot of mytoo, since speaking inTalen gets advicelife feeling like that kid onclass is nothing comparedfrom SAY founderthe sidelines and wantingwith talking in front ofTaro Alexander.really badly to get into thehundreds of people. He’sgame, but not having thegetting better grades, andcourage to jump in becausehis teachers have noticedof fear of being made fun ofthat he speaks up more.or teased,” says Alexander.“I’m less afraid to raise myHe gained confidencehand in class now,” saysby becoming a professionalTalen. “Sometimes I stutteractor at age 19 andand sometimes I don’t, butperforming on TV showsI don’t care anymore. I feeland in musical theaterlike a new person.”12S T O R Y W O R K STOP TO BOTTOM: SCOTT HALLERAN/GETTY IMAGES; 2013 TAYLOR HILL/FILMMAGIC/GETTY IMAGES; POPPERFOTO/GETTY IMAGES; WIN MCNAMEE/GETTY IMAGES; HEATHER WESTON PHOTOGRAPHSBy first grade, the problembothered him so much that he rarelyspoke in class for fear he would behumiliated. “I didn’t raise my handa lot in class. If a teacher asked for avolunteer, I’d duck,” says Talen.

INFORMATIONAL TEXTThe Incredible Power of SpeechHuman beings are amazing creatures. But in terms ofawesome powers, nothing beats our ability to talk.hat could be easierthan talking?We chat withour friends, whisper oursecrets, scream at our littlebrothers, and cheer for ourfavorite teams. By the end oflife, the average person willhave uttered approximately370 million words.But the ability tospeak—to expressthoughts and feelingsthrough differentsounds—is a complexhuman skill.WKey to SurvivalAll living creaturescan communicate insome way. Cobras fan outtheir hoods to warn theirenemies. Fireflies set theirtails aglow to attract mates.Sea lion mothers bellowto call their babies home.From mighty mammals totiny insects, being able tocommunicate in some way isa key to survival.But communicating isdifferent from speaking.Only humans have theability to speak.Speaking might seemsimple. But just utteringthree little words like “Hey,what’s up?” is a complicatedtrick.A Mysterious ProcessMany parts of your bodyhave to work together whenyou talk. First, your lungsElephants can’t talk, but theycan communicate “I love you”by entwining their trunks.exhale air across your larynx,or voice box, which is in yourthroat. Inside your larynxare your vocal chords, tworubbery folds that vibrate inthe rush of air. These chordsproduce the sound of yourvoice, which the voice boxmakes louder.And that’s just thebeginning. To make words,the vibrating air needsto be broken up intodifferent sounds. Ateam effort by yourtongue, lips, jaw, and teethmakes this happen. Thewhole amazing production iscontrolled by your brain.Speech is so complexthat scientists have struggledto understand how it works.It’s been difficult to findcures for speech disorders,like stuttering. Butin recent years,scientists have madebreakthroughs. In2013, scientists at theUniversity of California,San Francisco,pinpointed the parts ofthe brain that controlsome portions of thespeech process.Soon enough, expertsagree, the amazing powerof speech will no longer besuch a mystery. nISTOCKPHOTO.COM (2)WHAT’S THE CONNECTION?Imagine you have a friend who stutters. Using details from both texts,write an article for the school newspaper to help your classmatesunderstand the challenges he faces and how they can be helpful.Look out!Gorillasstickout theirtonguesto tell youthey’remad.FIND ANACTIVITYSHEETONLINE!S T O RY W O R K S . S C H O L A S T I C . C O M S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 413

Creative WritingHELP USA FAMOORAUTHCreate a CharacterCONTESTAuthor Wendy Mass Needs Your Help!HOW TO ENTERI’ve written 17 books so far. At about 10 to20 characters per book, that means I’ve had tothink up (hang on while I grab my calculator—I’ma writer, not a mathematician!) more than TWOHUNDRED FIFTY CHARACTERS! Wow! That’s alot! I’m tired! Maybe you can help me?I’d love to see what kind of characters youcan create! One of them will become the maincharacter of a story in Storyworks. Here’s a tip toget you started: Think of yourcharacter’s quirks, dreams,family, hobbies—until you feellike you’d know your characterif he or she came through thedoor and pulled up a chair.Have fun with it!Your fellow writer,Create a memorable characterand include your character’s:u Name, age, and hometownu Appearanceu Skills and hobbiesu Problem that needs solvingu Dreams for the futureThe more details the better!GRAND PRIZEu Wendy Mass’s story starringyour character will appear in theApril/May 2015 issue.u Your teacher will win a free twoyear subscription to Storyworks.u Your class will receive a signedclass set of Wendy’s book 11Birthdays.FINALISTS will have theircharacters appear on theStoryworks website.4P.S. Even if your character doesn’t wind up in mystory, I hope he/she/it winds up in yours! We allhave stories to tell, and no one can tell your storylike you can!Wendy has written 17 books,including A Mango-ShapedSpace, The Candymakers,Pi in the Sky, and 11 Birthdays.14S T O R Y W O R K SRUNNERS-UPwill win aStoryworks prize.75Send your entry to “Character Contest”by October 15, 2014. An entry form canbe found on our website:www.scholastic.com/storyworks.OUR ONLINESee page 2 for moreVIDEO WILLdetails.HELP YOUCREATE ACHARACTER!COURTESY OF WENDY MASS; ISTOCKPHOTO.COM (THUMBTACK). ILLUSTRATION BY LANCE LEKANDERHello, fellow writers,

SilvermanCityCan anyone saveDanny Sanchezfrom the town’smeanest bully?BY JENNY NIMMOART BY JOHN UELANDS T O RY W O R K S . S C H O L A S T I C . C O M S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 415

UPCLOSEWhat feelingdoes thiscomparison—called a simile—create?ÔWORD CHOICEWhy are theycalled “his gang”instead of “hisfriends”?The main character in thisstory faces a big problem. As you read, look for what it isand how it’s solved—and who helps him.In the hills above Silverman City, there’s a small white house with sparklingwindows and a door so blue it looks like a piece of sky. On top of the house,something spins in the sunlight; it’s so bright you can see it for miles.Not so long ago, the house was almost a ruin. The roof leaked, the paintwas peeling, and most of the windows were cracked.Danny Sanchez lived in the old house with his widowed mother. As amatter of fact, he still lives there. Every weekday, he walks down the steep road tothe bus stop at the edge of the city. And he’s always smiling.There was a time when Danny hardly ever smiled. As he walked to the bus stop,he would glance anxiously behind him, dreading the moment when Aaron Atkinsappeared.Aaron was a year older than Danny. He had thick, red hair and a freckled face,and he was always followed by his gang: Ned and Mickey Le Bon. When Aaroncalled, “Hi there, skinny Sanchez, what have you got for me today?” his gang wouldpull Danny’s backpack away and take out his lunch, his books, and his can of Coke.They would throw the books in the road and give the food to Aaron. If Dannytried to stop them, Aaron would trip him, and he’d fall on the sidewalk, grazing hishands and knees.Danny never told his mother. She had enough to worry about. She worked allday, cooking and cleaning for other people, and when Danny came home she wasoften fast asleep.On the first day of fifth grade, when Danny looked over his shoulder in theusual nervous way, he didn’t see Aaron Atkins, but he did see a girl with darkcurly hair and a young man walking behind her.“Hi!” said the girl, running to catch up with Danny. “Are you going toSilverman Elementary?”Danny told her he was and asked if she was going there too.“Sure am,” said the girl. “We just moved here. What’s your name?”“Danny Sanchez.”“I’m Rose Summer, and that’s my brother, Joel.” The girl looked backat the burly young man, who lifted his hand and said hi.Danny saw Aaron and his gang walking several paces behind Joel. Heclutched his backpack and began to walk faster.“What’s up, Danny?” asked Rose.ÔCHARACTERWhat does thisdetail tell youabout Danny?16S T O R Y W O R K SISTOCKPHOTO.COM (2)ÔFIGURATIVELANGUAGEProblem and Solution

ÔKEY IDEASHUTTERSTOCK (BOOKS); ISTOCKPHOTO.COM (MOUTH)“It’s nothing,” said Danny. He began to relax. Aaron wouldn’t try anything withJoel around. Joel looked as if he could tackle a gang of 10.When the bus arrived, Rose sat next to Danny. She told him that herfamily had just moved into a house at the end of Danny’s road. Her fatherand her brother were builders, and they had already found plenty of work inSilverman City.“Mum and I liked the idea of living in a city with a legend,” said Rose. “I guessyou know all about the legend of the silverman?”Danny nodded. His mother had told him that long, long ago, whenSilverman City was just a cluster of shacks, a stranger had appeared—a vagrantin a big black hat. He had a bow and arrows slung over his shoulder, and a small dogran at his feet. He also carried a bag of silver, and the townsfolk began to call himthe silverman because he was generous with his treasure. If anyone was in trouble, ifthey were ill, or their business was failing, the silverman would help them.The town grew, but one day a hurricane came roaring across the land andreduced it to rubble. Many people died, including the silverman, so they said.A new city rose up out of the ruins. It prospered, but every place has those whoare unfortunate. Every once in a while, poor, homeless, or troubled people wouldfind silver coins in their pockets, or a silver ring or brooch. It was always enough tosave their lives and turn their luck around. Folks said the silverman had returned—unless it was his ghost.“Do you believe in the silverman?” Rose asked Danny.Danny shook his head. “I never met anyone who found a pocketful of silver.There’s a poor, shabby man at the end of our road with a dog that looks close tostarving. I guess they need silver more than most.”For a whole week, Danny was safe. Rose’s brother, Joel, came to the bus stopwith her every day, and Aaron never made a move against Danny.On the following Monday, though, Rose was alone. “Joel had to start workearly,” she told Danny. “He said I’d be OK now that I’ve got a friend to walk with.”Danny smiled, and then his face fell. Aaron leaped in front of him with a nastygleam in his eye. “So, skinny Sanchez, what have you got for me today?”“Nothing,” said Danny, trying to look brave.Ned and Mickey ran and stood beside Aaron.“Come on, hand it over,” said Aaron.A legend is a storyhanded down fromlong ago. Somelegends are partlybased on facts.Could this be one?INFERENCEWhat is Rosesaying to Danny?(Hint: It makeshim smile.)ÔS T O RY W O R K S . S C H O L A S T I C . C O M S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 417

Why doesn’tDanny wantJoel to helphim?ÔCHARACTERHow does seeingthe shabby manand his dogaffect Danny?18During the day, the weather turned wild and stormy. When Danny turnedthe corner, he saw the shabby man and his dog sitting outside the Chinesetakeout. The man sat with his legs stretched out on the sidewalk. The brimof his black hat was pulled down over his face, and the rain dripped onto hisshoulders. The dog’s head rested on its master’s lap. It looked tired and thin andvery old.Danny pulled the 10 cents out of his pocket. If nothing else, it might be enoughto buy the dog a bone. As he reached toward the man’s gnarled, weatheredpalm, the shabby man’s fingers closed over his hand.A strange tingle passed through Danny’s body. His heart gave a wild beat,S T O R Y W O R K SISTOCKPHOTO.COMÔCHARACTER“What are you doing?” asked Rose in a scared voice.“We want Danny’s lunch,” said Ned. “Don’t we, Danny?”“You can’t have it,” said Danny, gritting his teeth.“Oh, no?” Aaron kicked Danny’s shins, and Danny fell on the sidewalk. Nedand Mickey wrenched off his backpack and emptied it onto the ground.“Aha!” cried Aaron, pouncing on a chocolate bar. “You don’t deservechocolate, skinny Sanchez. You can’t have Coke. You can’t eat bananas.”The gang thrust Danny’s food into their bags and started flinging his books andpens all over the sidewalk.“Stop it! Stop it!” screamed Rose, grabbing the strap of Aaron’s bag. “Youbully!”Aaron tore her fingers off the strap and pushed her away. Across the street,several people looked over at the commotion, but before they could do anything,Aaron and his gang had run off.Danny got to his feet and began to pick up his books.“Those mean, rotten bullies,” said Rose, bending to help him. “I’ll tell Joel.He’ll do something.”“No, don’t,” said Danny fiercely. “It’s my problem. I’ll sort it.”Rose seemed to understand. She gathered up Danny’s pens and cleaned hisbloody knee with a tissue. When they got on the bus, she handed Danny half herlunch.Danny didn’t know what to say. No one had ever helped him before. He wantedto give Rose something in return, but all he had was 10 cents, and it didn’t seemright to give her so little.

ÔPLOTHow is this aturning point inthe story?and for a moment he felt quite dizzy.The man let go of DannyÕs hand, and the boy stepped back.Lying in his palm was a brooch: a shining, silver rose. Danny staredat the shabby man. ÒAre you . . . are you the silverman?Ó he whis

The book Frankenstein was partly inspired by Tambora. Author Mary Shelley (above) wrote the novel in stormy Switzerland during the endless gloom of the summer of 1816. Like most people in 1816, the Hoisingtons grew almost everything they ate. Practically every bite of the family's food came from the farm, from the corn in their morning porridge